Yorkdale Shopping Centre

Two words can be used to best describe the Yorkdale Shopping Centre: Upscale and Classic. With Anchor stores Holt Renfew, Hudson Bay and SilverCity alongside luxury retail stores exclusive to the mall, Yorkdale is connoted by many to be nothing short of a shopping paradise. Its 1.7 million square feet of high-end retail accommodations are enlivened by a spacious interior, restructured glass roof over the main mall as well as a welcoming urban streetscape environment atypical to other shopping centres.

The facts speak for themselves – With higher merchandise sales than any other mall in Canada (raking in over $1600 per square foot), Yorkdale towers over its competitors as Canada’s premier shopping centre. Its phenomenal success has been recognized internationally, with multinational technology companies like Apple, Microsoft and Tesla Motors opening their first Canadian retail locations at Yorkdale.

With all its success, it would come as no surprise that Yorkdale has a history of being first. Before its opening in June of 1964, northern GTA residents were forced to endure the long trek downtown to access their favourite brand name retailers. Constructed several kilometers northwest of downtown Toronto, Yorkdale was quickly celebrated for its accessibility to not only suburbanites, but those residing in the central and northwest parts of the GTA. Upon its opening, it became the largest indoor shopping mall in the world with over 1.2 million square feet of leasable commercial space (it has since become the fourth largest shopping mall in Canada).

The shopping centre has been the center of numerous renovations and expansions, including one $60 million expansion in 2005 and another in January 2011, increasing its total retail space to 1.5 million square feet and accommodating guests with 800 more underground parking spaces. Renovations also were accountable for the relocation of the food court, now named “Dine on 3” (located on the 3rd floor), which measures 45 000 square feet and is comprised of 18 different eateries.

Current renovations are seeing an additional 298 thousand square feet of retail area that will feature a 180 thousand square foot Nordstrom store. The project is expected to be completed in fall of 2016.